Thursday, January 31, 2013

It was the storm with no name. Despite the fact that yesterdays
weather event included 13 tornadoes in eight states, no one has given it a name,
not yet anyway. It was certainly worthy of a name. According to this story by
Becky Kellogg on The Weather Channel, over “a hundred homes and businesses in Laurel,
Md. wereevacuated Thursday
afternoon after heavy rains prompted the opening of nearby dams. A commuter
rail station in Laurel
was also closed because of floodwaters. Roads in Montgomery County,
Md. are closed, and some
are even buckling, due to the heavy rain and high water."Wind gusts up to
81 mph were clocked in southern New England early Thursday, including gusts
over 60 mph at New York's LaGuardia Airport and Boston's Logan Airport,"
says weather.com Senior Meteorologist Jon Erdman.”

In HoCo it appears that Ellicott dodged the flood bullet
this time around. The bridge crossing the PatapscoRiver
was closed as a precaution but this morning the river was still running under
the bridge instead of over it.

It was right at the deck though. Walking across from the BaltimoreCounty side this morning, Dave Carney
remarked that crossing over with the river so high made him feel a little
nervous.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Last Sunday we decided to take the historical tour of the
Shrine of St. Anthony. It is something we’d often discussed but the timing
never seemed to work out. The tours are only held on the last Sunday of every
month.

It’s a pretty interesting place in that it was once part of the
original Carroll estate and in 1832, the Manor House was completed on the farm
that was then known as Folly Quarter. Today the house remains true to its original
form.

At least what little we saw of it.

The tour begins in the Manor House but does take visitors
past the main hall. On Sunday we stood in that hall while our guide embarked on
lecture about the history of the Catholic church in Maryland, beginning with George Calvert, the First Lord of Baltimore, in 1627. He continued on for about forty-five minutes before
getting to the present day. If you are interested in Maryland history, you would probably have
enjoyed it. If you were one of the younger members of the audience, not so much.

Though the website says the tours are open to families, I wouldn't recommend bringing the little ones. They’ll be bored to distraction.
In fact we noted that a few families began to peel off towards their cars as we moved from the Manor House and headed to the shrine building.

Even adults started getting fidgety as the tour moved into
the second hour and we had only moved through five rooms in the shrine. The
tour guide over shared just a bit. For example, in the dining room the walls
are lined with portraits of former popes. Our guide told stories about almost
all of them.

In addition to the nod for Outstanding Resident
Musical, Toby Orenstein was also nominated for Outstanding Director. The other nominations
were Dayne Quincy for Outstanding Lead Actress, David Little for Outstanding
Supporting Actor, Theresa Cunningham for Outstanding Supporting Actress, Anwar
Thomas for Outstanding Choreography, Lawrence B. Munsy for Outstanding Costume
Design and Christopher Youstra for Outstanding Musical Direction.

“The nominations, announced during a low-key, brightly
lighted event (it was live-streamed online) in the National Theatre’s Helen
Hayes Gallery, were compiled by a floating panel of 48 judges who evaluated 201
eligible productions during 2012. All shows are now closed, making the affair
ceremonial and celebratory — not a Tony Awards-style rush for box-office gold.
The 29th annual awards, administered and presented by the service organization theatreWashington, will be April 8 at
the WarnerTheatre.”

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Until today I wasn't aware that Harris Teeter can’t use the Redskins logo in HoCo. According to this story by Dan Steinberg in The Washington Post, the Ravens have exclusive marketing to all of Maryland except Montgomery and Prince Georges counties.

“According to NFL rules, the Redskins have exclusive marketing rights in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, meaning M&T Bank — a large Ravens sponsor — cannot display the Ravens logo in those D.C. suburbs. The Ravens, meanwhile, have exclusive marketing rights in the rest of Maryland, meaning Harris Teeter — a large Redskins sponsor — cannot use the Redskins logo in its North Laurel location, barely 10 miles from the Washington Beltway.”

Dan suggests that the true dividing line between the two franchises is Md Route 216, or more specifically, Reservoir High School and Maple Lawn.

“The Route 216 corridor in southeastern Howard County, though, seems unusual in the apparent exactness of its divide. A half-mile from the 10-year-old high school, the sports bar Looney’s has dueling Redskins and Ravens menu cards and segmented viewing areas — Redskins fans use the big screen upstairs and to the right, and Ravens fans head for the big screen downstairs and to the left.”

Monday, January 28, 2013

It’s official. The black covers will finally come off of the new parking meter kiosks in Ellicott City. As of next
Monday, February 4th , parking in the historic district will cost a
buck an hour on Main Street
and Maryland Avenue
and a half a buck an hour in the metered lots. Residents and visitors will also
be able to use the Parker app for smart phones and tablets to locate available
spaces.

Historic district residents have also been given a break
from the county. They apply for a residential parking pass that will allow them
to park free at any time in all the public parking lots and between the hours
of 5 PM and 10 AM on Main Street. You can find residential permit info here.

More than a few people have asked me what we are doing for
the Evening In the Stacks party this year. The theme for this year’s library fundraiser
is Sparkles and Spurs which pretty much tells you it’s a Texas theme. I think
it’s the sparkle thing that throws folks off.

It may be a case of taking the whole sparkle theme too
literally. It’s a black tie optional event which generally indicates that the
ladies will be getting all gussied up and in my experience that usually
includes accessorizing with jewelry. That would seem to cover the sparkle angle
adequately enough.

I’m hoping people don’t take the spurs thing too literally as
well. One can only imagine the fallout on the dance floor when you combine
spurs with alcohol. I’m suggesting that perhaps a cowboy hat would satisfy the
western theme without endangering fellow dancers.

What’s that?

You haven’t purchased your tickets yet?

Come on. What else are you going to do on a cold Saturday
night in February?

For those guys who are tired of scrambling to find something thoughtful for a Valentines Day gift, Sparkles and Spurs could be just the
ticket. Instead of flowers that only she can really enjoy, you get to spend a
night out together drinking and dancing in the library. This year the party
will include an Antler Bar with beers from the Ale House Columbia and a Cactus
Bar with margaritas prepared by the folks at The Wine Bin.

You can still get tickets at the discounted price too. After
this Thursday the ticket price goes up to $125 as opposed to a hundred bucks
right now. I wouldn't wait too long either. Only 600 tickets are available and
as of this past weekend over 300 had already been accounted for.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Wine Bin in Ellicott City
regularly offers tastings of their wines for customers. Usually the pours are
handled by the staff but yesterday they had a celebrity bartender. Rick Moshin,
owner of Moshin Vineyards, was on hand to pour samples and answer questions
about his wines. He also shared a few stories that you won’t see on the labels
or his website like the fact that his 2009 Pinot Noir, Lost Ranch is named for
the grapes from a ranch that a friend lost in a divorce. For me, a good story
often makes a good wine taste even better. I bought a bottle of Lost Ranch.

The Wine Bin was also rolling out its new growler service
and like the wines, they were offering tastes of their growler beers too.
Though I've become a fan of the craft beer movement, I’m not certain the growler thing will work for me. The smallest size is 32 ounces and once you open it,
you better plan on finishing it. I enjoy having a glass or two of beer at home
but with the higher alcohol craft beers, I tend to drink them much slower than the lighter brews. I am
concerned that the beer in the growler will have become flat by the time I get
to that second or third glass.

But I am the adventurous sort, particularly when it comes to
adult libations, so I purchased a 32 ounce growler for six bucks and filled it
with the Lagunitas IPA. Right now it is awaiting its debut in my naturally cooled
garage.

Last weekend we had finally gotten around to trimming our
ornamental grasses, just in time to miss the last day of curbside yard waste
collection. I told Mama Wordbones I’d haul the clippings to the dump.

It turns out today was the perfect day. There were no crowds
and the yard waste area of the landfill was beautiful with a fresh coat of
snow.

On this January morning, there were more deer tracks than
tire tracks.

Alan claims CoFoCoDo has "almost 500 supporters" yet when Dorsey’s
Search board member Tom Coale asked if there was an actual list of these supporters, Alan
admitted that the only public list was “a little old” and numbered
closer to 400.

That’s an understatement. The list of supporters is over
five years old, going back to the fall of 2006. It’s never been updated. There is no way of knowing whether any
of these original supporters support the current statements and positions put
forth by its spokesperson.

But that’s not the worst of it. Alan makes a big deal about
what he perceives as a lack of transparency on behalf of CA but his own organization
is downright opaque. The website lists no officers or board members. There are no minutes
of meetings where the organizations positions are discussed and consensus
reached. While Alan claims CoFoCoDo supporters oppose the Symphony Woods plan there is no evidence that the organization even met to discuss it or that these 500 supporters were polled.

In other words, the Coalition for Columbia’s Downtown does not have any
attributes of a legitimate community organization. It’s a sham, nothing more
than a hollow shell. Any positions put forth by such a group should be
considered in this context.

A ripple effect is inevitable. When the school system
declares a two hour retreat from the regular start time, the
weekday rhythm for homes with school children is upended. At 10:30 this morning there was still a back up on
Route 29.

For high school students it always welcome reprieve. Instead
of rising before the sun on a cold winter day they get to linger in bed a bit
longer, something that most teenagers I know seem to relish as much as
anything.

For the rest of us it’s a scramble of rescheduling morning meetings and
clearing off cars and driveways. A two hour delay is not a snow day where
events are canceled and the there is a real possibility of working from home. A
two hour delay day means arriving at work and already being two hours behind.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

On most occasions, watching a county council legislative
hearing is akin to watching paint dry. Every once in awhile however there is a
bit of political theater that causes the paint to jump right off the
wall. Last night, in his testimony in
support of the latest attempt at a growth tiers fix, Council Bill 1-2013, Lambett Cissel provided one of those moments.

In a bellicose email sent out yesterday, purportedly on
behalf of this coalition, Alan claims the proposed "Inner Arbor" plan would destroy “the serene, park-like environment which we
all supported and which was brought to fruition by Cy Paumier's design and
which was already approved by the Planning Board.”

This is
intentionally misleading. The Cy Paumier plan he refers to may have been
approved by the CA board but the Design Advisory Panel, charged with overseeing
the cohesion of the downtown redevelopment process, found it inadequate. They
directed CA to go back to the drawing board.

It really wasn't much of a plan, particularly when compared to what is now being considered. The key elements were a fountain and a café. There weren't even
any restrooms in the plan. The whole café concept was somewhat suspect too. Cy told me that initially it likely would be a mobile café, something that would be wheeled into the park during the warmer
months and then parked away during winter. In any other place this would be
known as a food truck.

The fountain was a
nice design element but it’s not a destination, even if it is interactive. How
many times would a family spend an afternoon there?

So who exactly is this coalition
that Alan claims to speak for?

He claims that CoFoCoDo is made up over 400 members yet it has no regularly elected board of directors or officers. The
membership (or supporters) list is at least five years old. Many of those who initially signed on
are no longer supporters. County executive Ken Ulman is listed as a member yet
he has wholeheartedly endorsed the new plan for Symphony Woods. I doubt he would have ever signed up if he
knew doing so would mean committing to a lifetime of having Alan claim to represent him on issues pertaining to Columbia's downtown.

Alan and his small
but vocal band of aging activists are predictably opposed to anything that
disturbs their own belief of what Columbia should be. They are truly the coalition of the unwilling.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Five years ago I wrote this post lamenting the demise of the
Plaza Residences condominium project in downtown Columbia. The 23 story luxury high rise fell
victim to the housing recession and delays caused by lawsuits seeking stop it. WCI Communities had started the project in 2006 but two years of legal challenges cost
the company dearly. WCI declared bankruptcy in 2008 and put the project,
including a building permit, on the market. The hope was that someone else would
be willing to take that permit and finish the project.

In August of 2011, Jessica Anderson reported in The Sun that
WCI “lost its legal bid to keep plans for the tower alive.”

Or did it?

Last year David Costello and a group of investors purchased the property, along with the completed construction drawings for the Plaza
Residences tower. It turns out that he also acquired a valid building permit,
a permit that was originally issued over five years ago.

In other words, it’s not dead yet. Costello may ultimately
decide not to build the Plaza Residences building. If he felt the market could
not support a luxury condo project in downtown Columbia, he could always take a different direction with the property. On the other hand, if he wants to build the 23 story tower it looks like he could.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Columbia
founder Jim Rouse often cited Chicago architect Daniel Burnham for one of his
favorite quotes: “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood
and probably themselves will not be realized.”

This quotation was called to mind as CA Board member Tom
Coale and Michael McCall from Strategic Leisure laid out the new vision for
Symphony Woods last week in Phil Nelsons office. After putting their fountain
in the park plan on hold last August, the Columbia Association has come back with a
bold vision for Columbia’s
central park. This is much more than a café in the woods or an interactive fountain, it is a strategic plan that leverages an assortment of existing community
assets to benefit the whole.

The key elements of the plan are the CA headquarters
building and Toby’s Theater. CA, which has been engaged in a headquarters
search for the past year, would build a new 30,000 square foot office building
on top of a subterranean theater for Toby’s . Additionally, the Columbia Centerfor Theatrical Arts will finally have a permanent home for its children’s theater and the community will get a new function space to replace the now
shuttered SpearCenter.

To make it all work, a new trust with an independent board will
be established to oversee Symphony Woods. That is probably the biggest idea of
all. The trust will operate outside of the sometimes dysfunctional politics of
the CA board and will be able to apply for grants from outside organizations for
programs and installations.

The plan, which is being called the Inner Arbor, is long
range and will take years before being fully realized but certain
elements such as the CA headquarters and Toby’s theater will likely come sooner rather
than later. CA is facing a lease expiration on its current space and right now Toby’s is in a position to leverage its present building and land as part of
the overall Columbia
downtown redevelopment plan.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Doug Gansler comes across as an easy going guy, belying his Ivy
League background. Within minutes of him sitting with us yesterday it felt more
like we were meeting for beers with a buddy than preparing to have a far
reaching conversation with one of the most powerful politicians in Maryland. Then again, he
is a former college lacrosse player.

We covered a wide range of topics with the attorney general
from chicken waste to gun control before we even touched on his future
political plans. Perhaps indicative of his front runner status, that is the
subject he seemed least interested in exploring. “I love being attorney
general,” he told us, “and I’m not term limited.”

“Does that mean you will run for reelection?”

Though he was forthright in answering all the other
questions we asked, that particular question he deflected with the ease of a lift check. That being said, he twice reminded us that he considers himself to be a “moderate
pro-business centrist Democrat.”

That would seem to be more campaign slogan for governor than
another term as AG.

At the end of the show we were also joined by Michelle Jose,
the marketing manager for The Mall to discuss the “wall breaking” for the malls
expansion that was held earlier this week.

As we were packing up to leave, Korva Coleman, dropped by to say hello. She didn't realize that the middle of The Mall was our regular studio. "You're brave," she told us.

Not so much. Unlike a well known broadcaster like her, most folks who pass by us during our show have no idea who we are or what we're doing there. There is a certain safety in being unknown.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Talking about mental illness is never easy, especially when
you are talking about yourself. Once you openly acknowledge a mental affliction you
will henceforth be viewed by everyone through that filter. That’s why I found this post by Alice on her blog
HoCoHouseHon, to be nothing short of courageous.

And enlightening. Alice
shares how she has learned to live with her own illness in a starkly forthright
manner by simply stating “I am mentally ill.”

“I'm a real person. Some of you know me only through this
blog, though most others I think are friends and family members. And being a
real person, disregarding any online persona, I have to face the every day life
of being a young woman with a chemical imbalance which makes me cry like Van
Gogh and smile like the Mona Lisa. It makes me play the piano with the wet
cough of Chopin; it makes me immobile, sometimes, with perfectionism and fear.
These are my mornings and evenings, my afternoon teas, the way I fall asleep
and the way I wake up at 7:23 craving a cup of coffee.”

That is just a small taste what she shares. Read it yourself
and I think you’ll agree, Alice
is one brave blogger. In this simple post entitled "Shame" she helps open up the often suppressed
dialogue of coping, understanding and dealing with mental illness.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

It is most evident in the stretch of Route 1 between Route
175 and Route 100. Icons of the past have been replaced with shiny new
projects. The Copper Stallion Motel has been demolished to make way for a medical office building and the former Aladdin Mobile Home Park
is now a mixed use development called Howard Square. The workingman’s roadhouse, Three Nines Tavern has been razed and is now a development opportunity. Next to what once was a thriving
flea market, the 85 acre Blue Stream development (pictured above) is well underway.

After eleven years of preparation, the Route 1
Revitalization effort has finally begun, changing the face and character of one of HoCo’s
more colorful corridors.

There’s much more to come too.

In this two mile section of Route 1 alone there are at least
twenty pink signs marking proposed changes for the comprehensive zoning process,
making it one the highest concentrations of zoning amendments in the county. In all,
there are over 40 proposed changes within the HoCo borders of the 2,377 mile highway
that begins at the Canadian border in Fort Kent and ends in Key West.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The speed cam van parked along Doncaster Road in Ellicott
City seemed out of place. These vans were sold to the council as a
deterrent to speeding in school zones yet there are no schools on Doncaster.
Where this van was sitting, there aren't even sidewalks, on either side of the
road.

There is a school within a half mile of where the vans location so I am assuming that this was the justification for the its placement.
Still, this seems to be stretching the intent of the enabling legislation. I wonder if there are any other locations in
HoCo where the speed cam vans are taking liberty with school zones.

Last night at the Meyerhoff in Baltimore, as the lights went down and people
took their seats, the cacophony of conversation was replaced by a wave of coughing and sneezing.

I glanced over at Mama Wordbones and she just rolled her
eyes. She’s a health professional and knows all to well that people with the
flu should stay home and keep their health misfortune to themselves. There are
times when sharing is not a good thing, particularly in times of a flu epidemic.

Last nights speaker was P.W. Singer and his topic was 21st
Century Warfare, which focused on electronic warfare, not biological. It's a shame. It could have been one of those great ironic moments.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Instead of a groundbreaking, this morning GGP held a wall
bashing ceremony for the newest addition to the The Mall in Columbia. Participants were invited to sling a
sledgehammer at a drywall partition inside the former J. Crew store just off
the center court to mark the beginning of the malls next phase. As the first sledgehammers hit the wall, Joan Lancos quipped “tear
down this wall,” recalling Ronald Reagan's famous line from his speech at the Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987.

Just outside the entrance GGP will construct 70,000 square
feet of new retail space along a promenade leading out to the existing
fountain. Though no tenant announcements were made this morning it was
disclosed that there are leases out on some of the spaces. It's never a good idea to announce a deal until everyone has signed along the dotted line.

Most of the construction will not be visible until May when
the existing LL Bean store is demolished. Katie Essing, the mall manager, told
me that the demolition will begin in May, shortly after the store closes.

Monday, January 14, 2013

The applications for changes to the current zoning regulations
are in and the comprehensive zoning process is now well underway in HoCo.
Properties that have applied for zoning map and regulation changes are
sporting these snappy pink and black signs.

Am I the only one that finds the placement of these signs
problematic?

In most cases the signs are planted along the road where
there is no place to pull over and read them. The same is true with most zoning
notice signs. You would not be faulted for thinking that this is at least somewhat
intentional.

In any event, this countywide land use makeover is likely to
dominate the councils agenda this spring. This isn't comp lite. This is comp
heavy and some property owners are likely to test the limits of the spirit and intent of Plan Howard 2030. According to the county website it is expected “to be complete prior to
the Council’s 2013 summer recess.”

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Yesterday, when the weather professionals told us to expect
an unseasonably warm and sunny day today, I promised Mama Wordbones I’d take a
respite from watching football to venture out for a hike.

By noon today it was clear that this would be another case
of Maryland mistaken
meteorological prognostication. The dreary day worked to dampen her enthusiasm
for an outdoor activity.

It did not have the same effect on me. Count me among those who
enjoy the ethereal beauty of days when the grey mist blankets the landscape.

“How about a walk for coffee?” I suggested. That seemed to
be enough of an incentive to compensate for the lack of sunshine. We headed up the Trolley #9 Trail to the Breadery and a cup of Zeke's coffee.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

The signs tells drivers to pay at the meters but the meters
are covered up. Does that mean that parking is still free on Main Street in Ellicott
City?

Yes and no.

The old two hour limit is still being enforced even though
the new meters are not yet operational. If you park on Main Street for over two hours between
10 AM and 6 PM, you are likely to get a ticket.

“It’s confusing to our customers,” Dave Carney told me. Dave
is the owner of The Wine Bin and president of the Ellicott City Business
Association. “People are getting tickets because they don’t know what’s going
on.”

The new metered parking system was supposed to be
operational on the first of the year. Two weeks later the pay stations remain
covered up and none of the business owners I spoke with seemed to know when
they will be working.

Friday, January 11, 2013

What does one do when a guest decides to toke up at your
cocktail party?

The fact that this issue is now being openly discussed is as
sure sign as any that societal attitudes towards marijuana have dramatically
changed. In this article by Kyle Spencer in The Washington Post the reporter
explores how locals are learning “to navigate dinners, cocktail parties, barbecues and
cross-generational family get-togethers as more people liken puffing on a joint
to sipping a glass of wine, while others still consider it a malodorous habit
that’s best done not at all, or at least far from our house.”

“Here in D.C., it is far from a partisan debate, something
that both Republicans and Democrats struggle with. “It’s a cross-party issue,”
said a 27-year-old aide to a GOP congressman who, like many interviewed for
this story, preferred not to give her name, further highlighting people’s
discomfort with this subject. She says she smokes often at home, but does so
without telling her ultraconservative, 50-something boss, her co-workers, or
even many of her friends. “It’s really hard to know how people stand on it.”

I found particularly amusing the quote from Andrea Khoury who suggested that any such accommodation would be a non-starter in her idealized world. “My
neighborhood is prim and proper,” she said.”

I think Andrea might be surprised to discover what goes on behind closed doors in most neighborhoods. Even
otherwise prim and proper folks have been known to inhale on occasion.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

This afternoon, while in downtown Columbia, I stopped in the Apple store to
check out the iPhones. After a little over two years, my Droid X is showing
signs of age; the battery doesn't hold up as long and the touch screen
sometimes seems to have a mind of its own. I also think it would be nice if my
phone and my iPad worked well together, something that has eluded me with the
Droid.

Within five minutes of entering the store, an employee named
Erica was helping me. I asked what the difference was between a buying an
iPhone at the Apple Store and buying one at the Verizon store. The biggest
difference she could think of was that Verizon would try to sell me their
extended warranty while Apple pushed their own.

“What about my upgrade credit?” I asked. Verizon had informed that I was eligible for an upgrade credit.

“You’d have to get that from the Verizon store,” she said.
Since I had to be over by the Verizon store on Snowden River Parkway later in the
afternoon anyway I decided to wait and see if I could get a better deal. I thanked Erica for her time.

That was a mistake.

When I arrived the Verizon store an employee took my name and
told me someone would be with me shortly. As I waited, another gentleman
approached me and asked if I wanted him to do an analysis of my FiOS account while I was waiting. He said he could probably save me some money. “Sure,”
I said.

After pulling up my account on his computer he told me that
the plan I currently had was no longer available. He then handed me a brochure with
about four new program options, all of which were more expensive than I
what I currently had. The cheapest had fewer channels than my existing plan.

“I thought you said you could save me money” I reminded him.

“I can, depending on which bundle you choose and your discounts, the final rate you pay will be about what you’re paying now."

With some prodding he admitted that this lower rate was only promotional and that it revert to the non discount rate in a couple of years.

I wondered if I really looked that stupid. I told him no
thanks. By now I realized that customers who had come into the store after me were being waited on. I walked up to the guy with the tablet who originally took my name.

“It’s showing that we are already helping you,” he said
checking his tablet. He seemed genuinely surprised that I wasn't being helped. Perhaps he thought the guy with the bait and switch FiOS scheme was supposedly helping me.

I told him he could just go ahead take my name off the list. I turned around and walked out the door.

Tuesday, January 08, 2013

On our podcast last week, Allan Kittleman suggested that is
already a forgone conclusion that Governor O’Malley will finally get his wind
farm initiative through the General Assembly this year. The wind bill failed to
get past the Senate Finance Committee last year. This time around it appear
that Senate President Mike Miller is putting his considerable political muscle
behind the bill to push it through. According to this story by Michael Dresser
in The Sun, Miller replaced C. Anthony Muse, one of the Dems on the committee who
opposed the legislation, with a more favorable fan of wind.

“Muse was one of three Democrats who joined committee
Republicans in firmly opposing O'Malley wind bill last year. Finance Committee
Chairman Thomas M. "Mac" Middleton, a Charles County
Democrat, said that with Ramirez on the panel, the chances that O'Malley
will win approval of his top remaining environmental priority are much improved.”

For the record, fellow HoCo Senator Ed Kasemeyer also voted against the bill in committee last year.

For Maryland
ratepayers, this bill is just another hidden tax. According to this story by Aaron C.
Davis in The Washington Post, the governor’s wind farm plan would add “a couple
of extra dollars to every Marylander’s monthly electric bill for 20 years and
thousands onto those of the state’s largest businesses.”

Wind power is also not as environmentally friendly as it
seems. According to this story by Robert Bryce in The Wall Street Journal, “the
wind energy industry has had a license to kill golden eagles and lots of other
migratory birds.”

“Last June, the Los Angeles Times reported that about 70
golden eagles are being killed per year by the wind turbines at Altamont Pass,
about 20 miles east of Oakland, Calif. A 2008 study funded by the Alameda
County Community Development Agency estimated that about 2,400 raptors,
including burrowing owls, American kestrels, and red-tailed hawks—as well as
about 7,500 other birds, nearly all of which are protected under the Migratory
Bird Treaty Act—are being killed every year by the turbines at Altamont.”

I’ll bet you won’t hear as much about that in Annapolis this year as you do about the purported hazards of fracking.

Last night approximately 125 people turned out at a
fundraiser at Apple Ford to hear Senator Allan Kittleman talk about the
upcoming General Assembly and his own future political plans.

Most of the attendees were primarily interested in his
political plans. Though he hasn't formally announced his intentions, it is
widely understood that Allan would like to be county exec in 2014. On the
surface, he would seem to have a pretty good chance. He’s smart, likable, and a
political moderate with deep roots in HowardCounty.
There’s just one problem; he’s a Republican.

It’s not so much an ideological problem as it is a numbers
problem. There are 90,072 registered Democrats in HoCo and 56,330 registered
Republicans. In order to have a shot, he’d need to win over the 38,799 unaffiliated
voters and perhaps a few of the 3,567 “others” as well (Green Party, Libertarians,
etc.), not to mention a Dem or two.

No doubt he is somewhat heartened by precedent. In 1990 a similar
moderate Repub named Chuck Ecker squeezed out a victory over incumbent Dem Liz
Bobo in the exec race. He easily won reelection in 1994. Chuck won because Liz
had lost the center.

That won’t be the case this time around. There won’t be an
incumbent and the presumed Dem candidate, Councilperson Courtney Watson, has
played to the center in her six years on the council.

Allan understands all this of course. Last night he quipped that
he’s a Republican that doesn't scare Democrats. This is true and it may get a
few Dems to take a harder look at him rather than dismiss him out of hand due
to his party affiliation. In order to win, however, he’ll need to put forth a
vision for the county that gets voters to pay attention. In a county where, on
the whole, things are pretty good that may not be so easy to do.

Monday, January 07, 2013

We had a discussion about spurs this weekend. The theme of
this years Evening in the Stacks library fundraiser is “Sparkle & Spurs,”
so Mama Wordbones was contemplating how to work spurs into her evening wear.

We have time. The event is a little over a month away so
there is still plenty time to get your tickets and find your own spurs. It’s a fun event and a great way to shake off those winter blues. You can find more
information here.

Saturday, January 05, 2013

As we were packing up after our show yesterday, Dave made a
comment that there was less laughter than usual this week. That is not
necessarily a bad thing. Some listeners have told me that they think we laugh too much.

That’s not to say the show didn't have its light moments, it’s
just that we had a lot of meaty stuff to discuss with Senator Kittleman. With the
Maryland General Assembly set to reconvene in Annapolis next week, we wanted to get Allan’s
take on things like gun control, marijuana law reforms, school funding, and the
transportation trust fund.

This is the third time Allan has been on the show. He was
one of our first guests back in 2010 when he was serving as Minority Leader in
the Senate, a position he subsequently forfeited when he parted ways with the rank and file on civil unions.

Allan is also the presumptive Republican nominee for county
exec in 2014. Before he took over the Senate seat that was previously held by
his father, Allan served six years on the county council representing District
5. In a strange twist of fate it was Allan who helped convince Courtney Watson to
seek her first elective office on the school board. In 2014 he will likely face
Courtney as the Democratic candidate for county exec.

Friday, January 04, 2013

Proponents of liberalizing marijuana laws in Maryland are likely to
be disappointed with this years’ General Assembly. Despite the recent
liberalization initiatives in Colorado and Washington, Maryland
legislators show little interest in joining in the fun. According to this article
by C. Benjamin Ford in The Gazette, Senator Jamie Raskin, a co-sponsor of last years attempt to liberalize
the states marijuana laws, “has not heard of any bills planned for the 2013
session, even though many lawmakers believe more reforms are needed.”

“I have heard a very broad consensus that people consider
the war on drugs a failure,” Raskin said. “What we've been doing has not been
working in America.
This is not a Maryland
issue, it’s a nationwide issue.”

Liberalizing marijuana laws could also go a long way to
improving the states budget woes. Unlike gambling, which has so far failed to
achieve the lofty revenues promised voters, pot legalization could produce an
immediate windfall. In addition to projected savings of $27 million in law
enforcement and incarceration costs, the state could tax the wild weed. In Washington, where the
state will apply a 25% tax on the sale of marijuana, revenues are expected to
exceed $22 million annually.

Thursday, January 03, 2013

When I sat down to write my column this month I had planned
to dive into the controversy over the legislative initiative to change way the Columbia Association is defined under state law. The change would redefine the
organization as a “nonprofit community service corporation” as opposed to a
homeowners association.

This seemingly innocuous move, intended to better match up with CA’s
unique structure (largest HOA in the country), was immediately pounced upon by the Alliance for a Better Columbia as a nefarious
attempt to subvert community control. ABC responded to this move with its own legislative initiative which would effectively make governance of CA even more unwieldy
than it already is.

It’s a good story with a very small audience that actually
pays attention to this sort of thing. After banging out a paragraph or two I
found myself struggling to make the subject at least mildly entertaining to
those less informed. With an early deadline because of the Christmas holiday,
it was more of a challenge than I was prepared to take on, so I dropped back
and punted for another topic.

I wrote about movie theaters instead.

This is the time of year when theaters are buzzing with
the biggest films of the year. The dreary weather drives us indoors and movies
provide a great escape from doldrums of winter. The only problem is the movie theaters themselves.

I've decided I will no longer patronize the movie theaters You can
find out why by checking out this months column here.

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Last year was a good year for HoCo farmers, According to the
December issue of HoCo Economic Indicators the loco agricultural economy was
led by corn which “bought the best prices on record.”

There are concerns going forward.

“This being a healthy year for growth of products, farmers
are still seeing very high fuel, fertilizer, and machinery parts costs soar.”

It was also a good year for residential real estate with
median sale prices up by 7% compared to a year ago and inventory is 35% lower. “The
sale price to list price on average is now 97%. Multiple offers and escalation
clauses are helping bring the sale to list price closer together.”

“When there are multiple buyers willing to pay over the
asking price and appraisers pricing is below the asking price it leads to
frustration for all parties involved.”

It wasn't a great year for commercial real estate, according to the report, with new
development “virtually non-existent.” The upside is that the lack of new
product has helped bring the commercial vacancy rate down to 13.7% from 15.9% a
year ago.

I think they missed the loco leasing activity tied to the
Department of Defense. The DoD took down 150,000 square feet of new space in Emerson
Corporate Commons in North Laurel and another 140,000 square feet of new
construction in the RiverCorporatePark
in Columbia. I wouldn't actually call almost 300,000 square feet "virtually non-existent" though you could make the argument that these buildings were developed outside of the normal market. Neither of these office projects were openly listed for lease even though they were both speculative developments.

As of September, the HoCo unemployment rate stood at 4.9%,
down slight from 5.4% for September of 2011. The HoCo population, as of July
2012, stood at 294,477.

This year we brought in the New Year by spending the night in
Annapolis at
the Robert Johnson House. Yesterday, as I left the building in search of my
first cup of coffee of 2013, I noted that the some of the prime parking spots
around State Circle
were unoccupied. Even though the state house was locked up for the holiday and
the General Assembly doesn't start until next week, Delegates still get reserved parking in the heart of the capital, whether they need it not.

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This is a personal web log about stuff around here. The opinions and views of the blogger are just that, opinions and views of the blogger, not the bloggers employer, parish priest, probation officer or anyone else for that matter. Comments posted here may be attributable to others. If the content presented here offends you in some way you are probably taking yourself too seriously. If it is journalism that you are looking for, buy a newspaper.